What? It’s Make a Friend Day! How awesome it is to have friends as we travel our life’s journey!

After I ripped off the previous day from my days of the year calendar (Read in the Bathtub Day), I was excited to see today is for friends. I started thinking about things I like to do with my friends. Rubber stamp, hike, explore, share meals, find quaint teashops, travel, talk, take photos (oh, so many photos), learn new things, laugh, go on adventures, fellowship at church, study the Bible. My list is pretty long. Mostly anything I like to do, I can enjoy it twice as much when I do it with friends. My friends list also includes the ones closest to me, like my honey, my kids, my grands, and my extended family.

Pondering the joy of having friends, I thought about preschoolers and how they are just beginning to learn and practice the social skills needed to make and maintain friendships. Parents, grandparents, childcare providers, and early childhood educators, you know what I’m talking about. It takes work, grace, apologies, squabbles, conversations, and time spent repeating all those things!

If I were a preschooler making a friend, I would want to do things with my new friend. Stomp in mud puddles, chase butterflies, build giant block houses (knock them down), create masterpieces with messy craft supplies, make believe in our imaginary world, slurp drippy ice cream. And much more.

Make a Friend Day. Do you have anyone in mind? What do you like to do with friends? Let’s do this, friends!

Be Kind, Make Friends

Written by Angie Quantrell

Illustrated by Gayle West

Available at wmu.com/be-kind-make-friends/

Woman’s Missionary Union, 2024